Hi all! I hope you are having a great November! 🙂 I know I am, and I can’t believe that the month is already nearly over!

Mockingjay Part II, the thrilling conclusion to Katniss Everdeen’s whirlwind revolution, has officially premiered today! I’m happy to say that I was able to attend an early double-feature showing of Mockingjay Part I—which came out last year—and II two days ago and follow Katniss in the last leg of her journey! 😀 It lasted about five hours, with an intermission break in between the two movies.

Realizing the stakes are no longer just for survival, Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) teams up with her closest friends, including Peeta (Josh Hutcherson), Gale (Liam Hemsworth) and Finnick for the ultimate mission. Together, they leave District 13 to liberate the citizens of war-torn Panem and assassinate President Snow, who’s obsessed with destroying Katniss. What lies ahead are mortal traps, dangerous enemies and moral choices that will ultimately determine the future of millions.

I will start off my review of Mockingjay Part II by saying that I was truly amazed by this film. It started exactly where Mockingjay Part I had left off the year before and did not disappoint in picking up action as quickly as possible.

Of course, this star-studded cast that we’ve all come to love and support were simply great. The dialogue and interaction between characters is so natural and real. Jennifer Lawrence, as always, did wonderfully in her role as Katniss—especially in this thrilling conclusion to the Hunger Games series.

She just brings a sort of emotional intensity that Katniss also shows in the trilogy, and I doubt that anyone would be able to do it as well. Another actor I would like to recognize is Donald Sutherland, who plays President Snow; I am always in awe at how he portrays this character with such ease and keeps him grounded and believable.

The pin and lanyard I got at the double feature. Definitely not taking it off for the next week or so.

The special effects were, as per the norm for The Hunger Games films, spectacular and very realistic. The war scenes are gritty and intense—and I think another thing that I loved particularly about Mockingjay Part II is that there is no straightforward “villain-hero” relationship in this installment. It is full-blown war, and in war, anything is possible.

One thing I really enjoyed was how faithful the film remained to the book; very little was changed and the movie had the same aesthetic and feel as the novel itself did—dark, epic, and action-packed. While Mockingjay was written by Suzanne Collins as one novel, I do believe that the movies worked quite nicely as two parts—the second part was definitely more brutal and heart wrenching than the first, and it made sense, because the end of the book is like that as well. I did end up shedding a couple tears, especially at the conclusion of the movie. (Hunger Games fans will understand!) 😥

And now a little bit about my experience at the double feature showing itself: This is actually the first double feature I’ve ever attended, and I am super glad that I went. It was just such a great atmosphere and watching the two movies back to back was very enjoyable as well. Everyone who attended received a lanyard with a special pin and a holographic card that switches between two versions of the Mockingjay pin symbol. Another one of the highlights was when we had finished watching the first movie and during the intermission break, a mini-trivia game was held, and prizes were being given out to anyone who answered a question correctly! I actually ended up answering a question and winning a Blu-ray disc of Mockingjay Part I!

This was the perfect conclusion, in my opinion, to one of the best dystopian film adaptation franchises ever. And while we won’t have the pleasure of being able to anticipate any new movies, rereading the books and rewatching the movies will never get old! 😉

Mockingjay Part II won’t disappoint! I suggest you go see it as soon as possible! 😀